SINGAPORE: 28,000 Attend Seventh Annual Pink Dot LGBT Rights Rally

Via Reuters:

Singapore's Pink Dot gay rights rally drew a record number of participants on Saturday, even as the country remains deeply divided over homosexuality. In early evening, a mostly young, pink-donned crowd was filling up the small Hong Lim Park, decked out in hot pink balloons and signs, next to Singapore's central financial district. The event, in its 7th year, included speeches and a concert, while 28,000 participants formed a gigantic human pink dot after night fall, the organiser said. The event's spokesman, Paerin Choa, somberly recounted the challenges the gay rights movement had encountered over the past year, including a court decision to uphold a law criminalising sexual acts between men. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said last week that the country was not ready for same-sex marriage, while a "Wear White" movement started by religious groups to counter Pink Dot has entered its second year. "I hope that they will legalise gay marriage," said a 20-year-old Danish man, holding up a pink sign with a friend to offer free hugs near a subway exit on the edge of the park.

The promotional clip for Pink Dot is always wonderful.

SINGAPORE: Court Upholds Sodomy Law

Via the Straits Times:

The highest court in Singapore has upheld Section 377A of the Penal Code, the law that criminalises sex between men, rejecting arguments that the provision contravenes the Constitution. In ruling that the provision is constitutional, the three-judge Court of Appeal on Wedesday rejected two separate challenges to strike down the law. Gay couple Gary Lim, 46, and Kenneth Chee, 38, as well as 51-year-old Tan Eng Hong, contend that the provision is discriminatory and should be declared void by the court.

Their argument is that Section 377A infringes their right to equal protection under the law, as guaranteed by Article 12 of the Constitution, and violates their right to life and liberty, as guaranteed by Article 9. The offence carries up to a two-year jail term for men who, in public or private, commit acts of "gross indecency" with other men. Mr Tan was the first to file a challenge against the statute in 2010 after he was charged with having oral sex with another man in a public toilet. Mr Lim and Mr Chee later filed their own challenge.

The law has been on the books since Singapore was a British colony. The photo above is from Singapore's annual Pink Dot event, which advocates for LGBT rights.

PROMO: Singapore's Pink Dot 2014

(Tipped by JMG reader Endriko)

Singapore Upholds Sodomy Ban

Singapore's High Court has affirmed a ban on sodomy.

In a ruling issued Wednesday, Singapore High Court Judge Quentin Low dismissed a challenge to Singapore’s law criminalizing sex between men. In a ruling issued Wednesday, Singapore High Court Judge Quentin Low dismissed a challenge to Singapore’s law criminalizing sex between men. “The fact that there is plausible evidence in support of either side must mean that this issue is at least arguable and debatable,” Loh asserted in his ruling. And since the court is “unable to find for Mr Ravi on the factual assertion that homosexuality is a natural, immutable attribute,” Loh ruled this is a matter that must be deferred to the legislature.

SINGAPORE: First Openly Gay Politician Vows Decriminalization Of Homosexuality

After coming out last week on his Facebook page, Vincent Wijeysingha vowed this week that Singapore will soon decriminalize homosexuality.

“I am entirely convinced the law will eventually be repealed,” said Wijeysingha, treasurer of the Singapore Democratic Party. The decades-old law makes “gross indecency” between men punishable by up to two years in prison. It has not been actively enforced in recent years, but 185 men were convicted under the law between 1997 and 2006, according to government data. Complaints of discrimination based on sexual orientation have become less common in Singapore, a Southeast Asian economic powerhouse of about 5 million. But until a decade ago, government policies barred gays from “sensitive positions” in the civil service and imposed strict censorship on gay-related content in movies and TV shows.

RELATED: Watch yet another gorgeous video from Saturday's Pink Dot event in Singapore's Hong Lim Park. The ending!

Singapore's Pink Dot: June 29th

Singapore's Pink Dot videos are always gorgeous. You are going to want a tissue for this one.

(Tipped by JMG reader Eugene)

Singapore: Gay Male Sex Is Still Illegal

The Singapore High Court has dismissed a lawsuit that contends that the nation's criminalization of male homosexuality is discriminatory and unconstitutional.

In his 92-page judgment, Justice Quentin Loh said that Singapore's society in the midst of change, and in a case where the change in a "particular long-held social norm" has yet to gain currency, a court is "hard put" to decide whether to retain or discard that social norm. That decision, he said, is best left to Parliament, and he noted that Parliament had voted to retain Section 377A in 2007.

In 2007 Singapore legalized sex between women but let stand the above-cited ordinance which outlaws "gross indecency" between men. Enforcement of that law is rare. 

Utah's Pink Dot 2012

Utah held its second annual Pink Dot festival yesterday in an event that took its lead from Singapore's ground-breaking event of the same name.  Great photos are here. Below is Utah's gorgeous promotional video.

Singapore May Legalize Gay Sex

Singapore's highest court is considering whether it is unconstitutional to criminalize gay sex. The case arose, interestingly, from a tea room incident.

This comes after a ruling by the Court of Appeal earlier this week on a bid by Tan Eng Hong to have Section 377A of the Penal Code declared unconstitutional. This section states that a man who “commits any act of gross indecency with another man” will be punished by law. The accused was arrested for having oral sex with another man at a public toilet in CityLink Mall in March 2010. He later successfully applied to have 377A of the Penal Code declared unconstitutional for several reasons, including violating his right to personal liberty. The charge against Mr Hong was then changed to a different section of the Penal Code – Section 294(a) – which meant he was charged with committing an obscene act in a public place.

"Gross indecency" between two males is presently punishable by two years in prison. Singapore rarely enforces that law, however, and the small nation has recently seen a surge in open LGBT activism via the annual Pink Dot event.

Utah's Pink Dot 2012: September 22nd

Lovely. Get a tissue. For real.

(Tipped by JMG reader Ken)

SINGAPORE: Pink Dot 2012

Stick around for when they light up the pink dots. This was Singapore's third fourth Pink Dot and I think I need a tissue.

NOTE: Organizers point out that the fireworks and national flag fly-over was just a happy coincidence from the nearby National Day Parade.

Play Dead For Jesus!

Jesus Camp evangelist Becky Fischer took her brainwashing circus to Singapore, where she had small children pretend to be dead so that Jesus could resurrect them. SRSLY.

(Source)

SINGAPORE: The Freedom To Love

Beautiful. By filmmaker Boo Junfeng.

Population Concentration

If all the people in the world had to live in one city, here's how big that city would be based on the population densities of six examples.

Mustaches Make A Difference

Movember is the global cancer awareness campaign in which participants grow mustaches to draw attention to men's cancers. Copyranter tips us to the above image being used in Singapore's prostate cancer campaign. Hit the link for more images of the famously mustachioed and what they'd look like clean-shaven.

SINGAPORE: World's Most Expensive Hotel Opens With World's Largest Outdoor Pool

The $6B Marina Sands Hotel opened in Singapore this weekend with a 650-foot infinity pool on the 55th floor. More cool/scary photos here. What global recession?

Singapore's Pink Dot 2010

Singapore's nascent LGBT rights movement staged its second annual Pink Dot event this weekend, where over 4000 folks in pink clothing jammed a city park for a day of music and celebration. And for the first time, the media took positive notice.

The 30-second clip on Singapore-based Channel NewsAsia showed participants in a carnival-like atmosphere and cultural performances at Hong Lim Park where over 4,000 people turned up to show their support for the gay community by forming a huge pink human dot on Saturday. The record turnout makes Pink Dot 2010 the largest public gathering at Speakers’ Corner, Singapore’s only government-designated venue for public assembly and free speech where a police permit is not required. The inaugural Pink Dot event, held at the same venue last year, was attended by 2,500 people. Roy Tan, one of the organisers of Pink Dot, told Fridae, "I think it is groundbreaking in that this is the first time Singapore television has reported on a local LGBT-supportive event in positive terms."

In 2007 Singapore repealed a ban on lesbian sex, but sex between men remains a crime. Here's a heartwarming clip from the day.

Singapore Goes Pink (Dot)

Singapore's Pink Dot project, the first public show of support for LGBT people in the city-state's history, was a resounding success. Lovely video.

Singapore's Pink Dot

This video is so frickin' sweet, you might need a tissue. On Saturday, Singapore will see the first public display of support for its LGBT citizens in which thousands are expected to gather in a public park to create a giant pink dot to be photographed from the sky.

"Do you support the freedom of LGBT people to love? Then show your support by joining our smart mob at Hong Lim Park on 16th May! This is NOT a protest nor a parade, just a simple call for open-minded Singaporeans to come together to form a pink dot, of which aerial photographs will be taken. This pink dot is a celebration of diversity and equality, and a symbol of Singapore's more inclusive future.

(Tipped by JMG reader Christina in Singapore)